2014 Chase for the Sprint Cup Predictions: Sprint Cup Championship Sleepers

2014 Chase for the Sprint Cup Predictions: Sprint Cup Championship Sleepers: The 2014 Sprint Cup Series regular season is in the books, and the 16 drivers eligible for this year’s reformatted Chase for the Sprint Cup are set in stone. For those that don’t know, NASCAR dramatically altered its playoff system this season, expanding the field and adding eliminations along the way. The playoffs will still consistent of the final 10 races, but every three races, the four drivers with the lowest point total will be eliminated, leaving four drivers to decide the title in the season finale with the highest-finishing of the four remaining drivers being crowned the champ. Needless to say, no driver or team is exactly sure what to expect with the new format, and one bad finish could be enough to doom a driver’s title hopes. With that in mind, the chances of having an unexpected champ are greater this year than perhaps ever before, and here is a closer look at a few drivers that could capitalize on the revamped playoff system to pull off an upset.

He was one of three drivers to make the Chase without winning a race, but Matt Kenseth has been one of the steadiest drivers in the series despite failing to reach victory lane. His 14.0 average finish ranks fifth, and his 10 top-five finishes and 16 top-10s are both tied for the second most of any driver. Meanwhile, he owns the seventh-best driver rating and ranks sixth in laps led so it’s not like he hasn’t been spending time up front. With points resetting every three races in this year’s playoff format, Kenseth’s consistency could be enough to put him in the mix.

I’m not sure any driver has flown under the radar more than Ryan Newman this season. He switched teams in the offseason, and while he has yet to win, he has carried the banner for Richard Childress Racing. On paper, Newman doesn’t stand out in the scoring loop categories, and he has only finished in the top five twice all year. However, his 14.1 average finish ranks sixth in the series, and he has spent the third-most time on the lead lap. In other words, Newman rarely has a bad race. Meanwhile, his seven wins at the first three tracks on the Chase schedule rank second among drivers that made the playoffs. Newman has a great chance to survive the first elimination, and from there, his ability to stay out of trouble could carry him a lot further than most people think.

A brutal run of bad luck has Kyle Busch limping into the Chase, but that being said, he still managed to rank in the top 10 in fastest laps run, average green flag speed and laps led during the regular season. Not to mention that Busch can run as hot and cold as any driver in the series, and just as quickly as he has fallen into a slump, he can go on a ridiculous hot streak. After all, we are talking about a driver that had three top-three finishes in a five-race span and a three second-place finishes in a four-race span during the year. It’s tough to tell which driver will show up in the Chase, but at his best, Busch is a championship-caliber driver.

In 2004, NASCAR dramatically altered the way the series title was decided by introducing the Chase, and Kurt Busch emerged as the surprise champ. Well, NASCAR has again made a major change to when it comes to crowning the series champ, and Busch could again be a surprise contender. His overall numbers this year weren’t great, and he struggled with inconsistency. However, it is worth noting that Busch picked up a win early in the year, essentially clinching his spot in the playoffs. From there, he openly admitted to taking chances and adopting a checkers-or-wreckers attitude. Now that every race matters again, don’t be surprised if Busch reins his driving style and becomes a much more consistent performer.

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